gloss, “Tlachivaltepe”

gloss, “Tlachivaltepe”

Nahuatl gloss, “Tlachivaltepe” (i.e. tlachihualtepetl), broken in two parts, identifies the pyramid at this site. It is a reference to the most voluminous pyramid (pre-Columbian temple) in Mesoamerica, a large mound today that has a Christian church on top. The interesting word tlachihualtepetl breaks down into tla- (something), chihual- (a made thing), and tepetl (hill or mountain). [SW]